But in the last two weeks, Harford County repealed its entire Watershed Protection and Restoration Program, in violation of state law, getting rid of those dedicated funds to clean up polluted runoff in county waters. Then, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz proposed reducing the county's dedicated funds to clean up polluted runoff and delaying the 2025 deadline for meeting commitments to restore clean water across Maryland and the Bay.

Just as residents in our towns and cities are doing more to help clean our water, farmers need to do more as well. One major problem is chicken growers spread 228,000 excess tons of manure on crop fields per year, according to the Maryland Department of Agriculture. The excess ends up in nearby creeks and rivers. The phosphorus in the manure is a major reason so many waterbodies on the Eastern Shore, and the Chesapeake Bay, are polluted. Farmers aren't polluting intentionally; they simply lack a method to determine the right amount of manure to apply to crops.

Now Governor Hogan has stymied the proposed solution to our manure crisis.

If the governor won't support a manure solution, the legislature can pass a law to accomplish the same end. But getting the votes for such legislation will be challenging. Beating back attempts to repeal the stormwater fee law also could prove difficult.

Maryland finances present another serious challenge this year. The state recently enacted a two percent across-the-board cut to all agency budgets for the current fiscal year. And Governor Hogan's budget for the next fiscal year is also tight, although his proposed cuts seem equitable and fair. Now we must ensure that the General Assembly does not divert any more funding from our dedicated environmental funds during the legislative review process. We will be fighting hard to protect clean water program funding.